News in Brief: Friday October 17
Crystal Symphony has undergone a $20 million+ dry dock redesign with newly designed indoor and outdoor spaces.
Crystal Cruises unveiled the ship’s new look on September 27, as guests embarked on an eight-day Hamburg-Lisbon voyage.
Crystal President and chief operating office, Edie Rodriguez has said, “We continue to invest in creating a contemporary and sumptuous environment that meets the travellers’ desire.”
“The new features and spaces added during this dry dock are astounding, and offer our guests the relaxed, yet luxurious comfort that they have come to expect and enjoy on Crystal Cruises.”
United Airlines has unveiled its new check-in options for its most frequent travellers at San Francisco International Airport.
The airline will open a new reception lobby for members of its invitation-only Global Services program and a new check-in area for Premier members of its MileagePlus loyalty program.
The new Global Services reception lobby will also offer personalized check-in services to customers traveling in United Global First on long-haul international flights.
Wendy Wu Tours have expanded their product range in Indochina to include a fully inclusive tour that focuses on Laos and Cambodia.
Featured in the recently released 2015 Vietnam brochure, the 16-day “Laos & Cambodia Unveiled” tour will encompass in-depth aspects of Laos and Cambodia to areas not found in a traditional mainstream group tours to this region.
Insight Vacations have released an exclusive Gallipoli itinerary providing an alternative option for travellers to be involved in the ANZAC centenary in 2015.
The new itinerary offers guests a two night stay in Athens, then a nine-night cruise with a special ANZAC Day service on board the ship anchored off the coast in proximity of the proceedings.
The 12-day Gallipoli Anniversary and Aegean Cruise departs on 15 April, 2015.
Royal Caribbean International have announced guests who book on selected 2015 sailings between October 15 and November 30, 2014 will receive free or significantly reduced return airfares.
For more information and to see a full listing of the selected sailings click here.
Heritage Hotel Management has welcomed The Devon Hotel of New Plymouth to the group from as of December 1, 2014.
The Devon Hotel will be the 22nd for the Heritage Hotel group that now spans over 18 New Zealand locations. The property is walking distance from the CBD and contains a restaurant and lounge bar, heated outdoor swimming and spa pools on site.
Aurora Expeditions have announced the launch of their new 2015-2016 Expedition Guide.
The new guide will encompass expeditions across all seven continents featuring 21 itineraries, 18 destinations and over 80 individual departures.
To view the full listing of itineraries, click here.
LATAM Airlines Group have announced that all their passengers can have their mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) in “airplane mode” for the full duration of the flight.
The decision will now allow passengers to have access to work, entertainment and information on their devices during all stages of the flight.
Qantas has announced that they will now offer select wines from Penfolds’ new wintages.
To celebrate the release of Penfolds’ new vintages, Qantas is offering a Penfolds suite of wines to customers travelling on Qantas domestic and international services from Sydney and Melbourne.
Accor Hotels is celebrating the Diwali five-day Hindu New Year, commonly known as the ‘Festival of Lights’, welcoming Indian travellers with a display of lights, motifs of Rangoli designs, and traditional sweets and cuisine on the menu.
From October 23, 13 of Accor’s hotels will decorate their hotel lobbies and engage guests in the cultural festivities, in accordance with the Optimum Service Standards for Indian guests, which ensures Accor staff can better cater to specific cultural needs of Indian travellers.
Renowned executive chef John McLeay has teamed up with Intrepid Travel for its 11-day Real Food Adventure through Burma, where he will introduce travellers to the secrets of Burmese cuisine.
Equipped with experience from his work with Burma Lane, Red Spice Road and Red Spice QV, McLeay will accompany travellers on the first four days of the tour in Yangon, before the trip heads north to the cultural centres of Pagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake.
Kerala Tourism is gearing up to host three city roadshows across Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland from October 20 to 23, with the event showcasing the Indian state, highlighting why it is a must-see destination for Australian and New Zealand travellers.
Attendees will have the chance to meet with Kerala hoteliers and operators for first-hand knowledge, as well as going into the running to win a seven-night trip for two to Kerala, with those interested able to register and find more information here.
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